Ken Follett & John Lee Talk About Fall of Giants

Ken Follett and John Lee, the author and narrator of Pillars of the Earth and World Without End, are back together again for Fall of Giants, the first in The Century Trilogy. They recently chatted with Audible editor Diana Dapito about the new epic book, and what it was like to write and record it.

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Publisher's Summary

Ken Follett and John Lee, the author and narrator of Pillars of the Earth and World Without End, are back together again for Fall of Giants, the first in The Century Trilogy. They recently chatted with Audible editor Diana Dapito about the new epic book, and what it was like to write and record it.

Fall of Giants is Ken Follett's magnificent new historical epic. The first novel in The Century Trilogy, it follows the fates of five interrelated families—American, German, Russian, English, and Welsh—as they move through the world-shaking dramas of the First World War, the Russian Revolution, and the struggle for women's suffrage.

Thirteen-year-old Billy Williams enters a man's world in the Welsh mining pits…. Gus Dewar, an American law student rejected in love, finds a surprising new career in Woodrow Wilson's White House…. Two orphaned Russian brothers, Grigori and Lev Peshkov, embark on radically different paths half a world apart when their plan to emigrate to America falls afoul of war, conscription, and revolution…. Billy's sister, Ethel, a housekeeper for the aristocratic Fitzherberts, takes a fateful step above her station, while Lady Maud Fitzherbert herself crosses deep into forbidden territory when she falls in love with Walter von Ulrich, a spy at the German embassy in London….

These characters and many others find their lives inextricably entangled as, in a saga of unfolding drama and intriguing complexity, Fall of Giants moves seamlessly from Washington to St. Petersburg, from the dirt and danger of a coal mine to the glittering chandeliers of a palace, from the corridors of power to the bedrooms of the mighty. As always with Ken Follett, the historical background is brilliantly researched and rendered, the action fast-moving, the characters rich in nuance and emotion. It is destined to be a new classic.

I find John Lee's readings of Ken Follett's books riveting! He is one of the best readers, and a good reader makes all the difference, in my view, between a great audiobook all around and a perfectly good book ruined by the reading. This interview gives insights into how he prepares and records. Ken Follett also tells about his future writing plans. Definitely worth the free listen.

John Lee is my favorite narrator. Ken Follett is one of my favorite authors. I was pretty surprised that Ken was completely unfamiliar with John's work. Ken, take some time and listen to the man that brings your words to life!!!! I can't even begin to imagine Pillars or WWE without John Lee. Wow

I was hoping to gain some more information on what is and what is not fictional in the interview but I may need to do my own research. I was disappointed that Ken Follett wasn't aware of John Lee; I've listened to a number of John Lee's narrations and greatly admire his talent so I felt a bit slighted for my "friend."

Ken Follett confirmed he was a bit full of himself in this interview. Who doesn't love John Lee's voice. It was interesting to hear about how audio books are produced. John Lee just nails it every time as a narrator and I hope he continues to get hired on with the best selling books. I'm finding other narrators whom I really enjoy on Audible but a few will continue to hold their place in Top 10 lists of the Best!

Perhaps the interviewer should get the names of the books before she starts naming them to the author and the narrator. "The Pillars of the Earth" not "The Pillars of Earth" and "Fall of Giants" not "The Fall of the Giants."

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